Kuerzi Slams Beck, 6-0, 6-2; LaGrange Boys Top The Dogs

Confidence has its place, no doubt.

After the LaGrange High boys won their first Region 5-AAAA tennis match of the season, junior singles player Jackson Kuerzi made a bold statement after the 4-1 Granger victory over the Cedartown Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon.

“We should win the region. I trust my team. We want to get back to being champions,” said Kuerzi.

Why not? The LaGrange High boys are 4-1 overall with a 1-0 mark in the region. The Grangers have the arsenal and the shots. They also have the versatile and the flexible Kuerzi, who ran all over Bulldog senior Noah Beck in a 6-0, 6-2 match in No. 2 singles.

“I’ve been working on my backhand, and I had a lot more pace on my forehand,” said Kuerzi, who plays tennis seven days a week.

He is devoted, and there are others who are jumping on the Granger tennis train. LaGrange High senior Tony Choi is invested, too. Choi whipped Cedatown sophomore Will McClendon, 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.

LaGrange High was doing some intimidating and racketbanging in No. 1 doubles, too. Senior Gavin Battle and sophomore Pierce Skinner won with ease and an assortment of shots against the Cedartown twosome of Jayan Kent and Sam Payne.

Skinner and Battle won their match, 6-1, 6-0. The Grangers were cracking the whip at No. 2 doubles as well with senior Tiger Lakhwani and freshman Youngha Cho. They unleashed an array of game-winners in their 6-0, 6-0 decision over the Bulldog doubles team of Josh Hurst and Grant Hendrix.

“Our boys are pretty solid. We’re really deep and seasoned. We working on the total game,” said LaGrange High tennis coach Kenny Moore.

The Grangers came close to winning all of their matches against the Bulldogs. But LHS senior Blade Kendall did fall a few backhands short in a 4-6, 3-6 loss to Cedartown senior Steven Walker in the No. 1 singles match.